I sometimes introduce myself as YodaNinja. "Yoda on the outside, Ninja on the inside." Outside, I seem calm and composed. When I speak (or write), what I say can be profound, perplexing... or both. But my inner world is another story. Deep inside of me is a Ninja battleground where thoughts, emotions, ideas, and utter randomness all fight for my attention. Every once in a while, they actually cooperate and I have to say, I'm deadly. But then they go at it again... and "Everybody is Kung Fu fighting." I'm a dad, a husband and a guy whose mind has a mind of it's own. My recovery from my addiction to numbing myself (with pretty much anything I can get my hands on) is a lifelong journey. I live with depression, anxiety and adhd... and sometimes they don't get along very well with my family, or with the rest of my life. Professionaly, I make my living as a Counselling Therapist in Edmonton, Canada. I teach on addiction and psychopathology at City University, and I have a small counselling practice where I use superheroes and other geeky stuff to help people make peace with their own personal YodaNinja. This blog is part of my healing and writing keeps me grounded. I hope that something I have written may add a little bit to your journey. Keep it Real
The “I wish I could, buts… Many of us live in a world filled with ‘buts.’ We would go after our dreams, but we lack self-confidence. We would take a risk for love, but we fear others will disappoint us. We would write a great novel, but we currently lack inspiration. One word can change … More This One Word Can Make You Stronger
I wrote this post four years ago. Back then, I wrote it purely for fun. But today it has a different purpose: Today we remember Princess. My parent’s cat is not well and today she will leave us. She has given my parents years’ of joy, comfort and support. In the last few years, she … More A Goodbye Letter to Princess: An Open Letter to the World from The Cat
Being in recovery from depression, anxiety or addiction is not simply finding a way to be happy. It is about boundaries, healthy self-care, communication and accepting both hard things and things you cannot change. For the rest of the article, “Four Ways that ‘Self-care’ will sabotage your well being” click on the photo. Photo by … More Pursuing Happiness Can Sabotage Your Recovery
Myth #5: Mental health is simply the thoughts that we think For the rest of the article, “The 6 Myths that can Rob Us of Our Mental Health,” click on photo. Keep it Real Photo by Andrew Officer
“Who cares when someone’s time runs out? If a moment is all we are We’re quicker, quicker Who cares if one more light goes out? Well I do” Linkin Park “Depression is living a frozen life. Stuck inside of our darkest moments. Unable to move. Excruciating dark attention.” For the rest of the article, “If … More Depression is Living a Frozen Life
“Hopeful thinking requires space.” Wendy Edey, Therapist. April, 2018 I wanted to drop a note to let you know that for the summer, I will post less frequently. The past few months have felt like my family life has become very busy and more demanding. I have not been sleeping well and this seemed to … More How are Making Time for Hope this Summer?
Guest Post by FactDr Photo by Nick Hillier on Unsplash
Myth #4: Mental health is for people in a hospital or in need of serious help For the rest of the article, “The 6 Myths that can Rob Us of Our Mental Health,” click on photo. Keep it Real Photo by Andrew Officer
Stigma lives within all of us Whether it is over use of alcohol or drugs, or mental illness, stigma will impact a person’s well being, quality of life and can lengthen their recovery time. Addiction is one of the most stigmatized health conditions that a person can experience. Whether it is over use of alcohol … More Addiction Stigma is Like Cancer to Our Recovery
For anything to truly to be finished, it takes compassion. We can go through our tasks, our ‘to do’ list without thinking much or without connecting with ourselves. The ‘to do’s are important, but they can easily become disconnected because we are so easily disconnected. I try to manage my time, but more often my … More Your “To Do” List May Never Be Completed… But It Doesn’t Have to Be.
Getting High on Recovery 